


Personifications

by marikunin



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 02:49:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9414686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marikunin/pseuds/marikunin
Summary: The Nations are alive. Something that each Avatar-and the rulers of each nation-learned eventually was that each had a human form. Like the Avatar Spirit, they were immortal and (as with the case of an emaciated, comatose Southern Air Temple reforming into Air Temple Island) reincarnated. Though some-like Water Tribe and Air Nomads, and many smaller nation-tans that were eventually absorbed into Earth Kingdom-faded over time, many still remain.





	1. Water

Qiviq always had a graceful air about him. Dressing his best even if he was out hunting, the nation-tan was known among his peers as a bit of a neat freak. He was also known as a traditionalist. During Avatar Kuruk’s time, Qiviq forgot that healers used to use the body’s water reserves against them while on the battlefield. His people were thriving, and healers weren’t needed as often.

Kuruk had declared that women didn’t need to learn to fight anymore, and for 500 years, that was how things stayed. It took a headstrong Southern Tribe girl named Katara to change his mind. Now men were taught to heal just as much as women were taught to fight. Qiviq still never said his sister was right though. He did have his pride after all.

///

Isserfik was always more open minded than her brother Qiviq. The female personification of the Southern Water Tribe left the North Pole as soon as she was old enough with her people, icy fire in her blue eyes. On the way, she met Jun-that is, Omashu-and the two female nation-tans grew close. They’re still not sure how it happened, but Yun-Foggy Swamp Tribe-appeared on their doorstep within a few years. Still not comfortable in the humid swamp, Isserfik continued south.

The southern pole was much harsher than the North. Centuries in the same area had made the Northerners experts in the animal migrations and where to get the best seaweed. But in the South it was all new and unknown. Isserfik didn’t mind though; she liked the challenge. She settled into a smooth pace after about a decade, and she grew strong.

When the Southern Raiders came under Fire Lord Azulon though, she lost her strength. She didn’t gain it back for a good 90 years, and when she saw her long estranged brother at the forefront of the boat, she didn’t know whether to slap him or hug him tight.

So she did both.

///

Yun knew his fellow nation-tans called him a hick. He never wore pants-only a loincloth and a leaf hat as well as some vine bracelets-and spoke with a drawl. He ate bugs and talked to cat-gators and was generally just weird. He didn’t care though. Yun still had friends, and his people were happy.

He was easygoing and cheerful, and usually didn’t use modern technology as much as the other nations, preferring the vines and tree roots under his bare feet instead of polished floors. Yun often confused his less-spiritually minded brethren when he’d start talking about illusions and what one needed to do to gain enlightenment. However he did have friends in the Air siblings, and, surprisingly enough, Republic City. Yun had helped to build parks in Daiki’s new lands so that the then-child nation-tan would never forget to maintain balance between technology and nature.

But even though he had the kind of demeanor that made one relax around him, sometimes Yun would see things that he wasn’t sure were meant to be seen. The swamp was a mysterious place, after all, and not even he fully understood it.

But it was still his home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Northern Water Tribe/Qiviq (male)  
> Southern Water Tribe/Isserfik (female)  
> Foggy Swamp Tribe/Yun (male)  
> Earth Kingdom/Chen (male)  
> Ba Sing Se/Li (male)  
> Si Wong Desert/Chung (male)  
> Gaoling/Chow (female)  
> Omashu/Jun (female)  
> Kyoshi Island/Kyoko (female)  
> Great Divide/Mushi (male)  
> Fire Nation/Arata (male)  
> Sun Warriors/Akane (female)  
> Air Temple Island/Yuan (male)  
> Western Air Temple/Chyou (female)  
> Eastern Air Temple/Lian (female)  
> Northern Air Temple/Manchu (male)  
> Southern Air Temple/Shen (male)  
> (United Republic) Republic City/Daiki (male)


	2. Earth

Chen-the Earth Kingdom-was a giant of a man. Representing an entire continent, it was a surprise to no one when, during his turbulent adolescence of his siblings being absorbed into him as kingdoms joined together, he peaked at 7’2”. Even when Foggy Swamp and Si Wong got their growth spurts, he remained the tallest of all the nation-tans. It came in handy in crowds, even though people tended to stare.

He was quiet and strong, like the element he represented. He preferred to observe the world and it’s inhabitants instead of interacting with them. Even so, Chen was loyal to the ones he cared about to the end. And that loyalty gained him admirers, both nation and human. It was a logical conclusion that he was the Nation with the most children.

Earth Kingdom had many children throughout his life. However, the eldest were Chow, Jun, Li, Mushi and Chun-that is, Gaoling, Omashu, Ba Sing Se, Great Divide and Si Wong Desert, respectively. His older children he couldn’t remember the mother of. He’d been so young when Omashu and Ba Sing Se were born; barely an adult. The rest, he recalled were offspring of himself-and the original Air Nomads, in the case of Si Wong Desert, for example-and another nation-tan.

No matter how many children he had though, Chen loved them all.

///

Chow was an interesting one. Being the birthplace of the now world famous Earth Rumble Tournaments, she was a fighter through and through underneath that refined demeanor she put on for strangers. She was sassy and loud and yet if needed she could conduct a formal tea ceremony without speaking a word. The nation-tan was also rich. Seeing as the Bei Fong family resided in her limits, Chow never ran out of money.

Having all that money gave Chow a good head for business. She always had her citizens surviving in the worst of times, and thriving in the best. The meadows that overflowed with flowers in the spring, and being the birthplace of the Metal Matriarch Toph Bei Fong made Gaoling a tourist spot. In time, Chow’s home went from a modestly sized village to a bustling city as Daiki shared his technology with the world.

However, after Daiki, Chow got used to the technology the fastest.

///

Jun was his eldest child. She lived in the caves near Omashu, where, while in the midst of a romantic meeting, her two namesakes found her wandering with an equally small badgermole. As soon as Shu was killed in the war between his and Oma’s two villages, Chen took Jun in as his own. She grew quickly, reaching adulthood within 20 years-very fast for a nation-tan.

They had more of a sibling relationship than anything though, and when Jun found Ba Sing Se during Avatar Tenmu’s lifetime, they both took Li in like a son. Chen’s quiet patience and Jun’s headstrong spirit made for an interesting combination though, and they quickly found several small villages and minor provinces together while raising Ba Sing Se.

Unlike Ba Sing Se or the Fire Nation’s hereditary monarchy, Jun chose her royals by way of battle. The previous King or Queen would fight the challenger, and whoever won was the new ruler. Not just anyone could challenge the King or Queen though. They would’ve had to prove themselves in some way, and each test was more perplexing than the last.

'Leave it to King Bumi the first to make a process that'll judge moral character as well as brains,' she had thought at the time, 'Of all my bosses at least he had a sense of humor.'

///

Li was the tallest after Chen. Since Ba Sing Se’s walls could be seen from space-as the world eventually learned-it was obvious he’d be imposing. However where Chen had a lean, muscular build, Li was more stocky. His house was rather strange, though. One room may be decorated with the finest silks and jewels, yet the next may be little more than a hole in the wall.

During the hundred year war, Li had suddenly cooped himself up in his house. When Chen, Jun, and the other nation-tans finally coaxed him out a few months after Fire Nation drilled a hole in his wall and then moved in for a few weeks, Li was glassy eyed and didn’t remember his family. Qiviq had to spend several years repairing the psychological damage via his best healers.

Now though, Li was thriving, finally free.

///

Mushi was somewhat of a surprise to everyone. At some point or another, some travelers decided to settle in the Great Divide and make lives there. It took less than five years for Mushi to appear, and he grew quickly. His arms and legs were strong from constant climbing, and knew how to get various resources from the most unlikely places. He and his older brother Chun got along well for the latter reason, and often shared tips.

His house was also the second most visited-the first was Republic City’s-by the other nation-tans, so he had picked up things from each culture. He and Daiki got along for these reasons, and they’d visit each other’s houses often. It took Mushi awhile to get used to all the technology and people, but as soon as he did he loved the place. It was so different from the cliffs and canyons he was used to, but it did fine in small doses.

But Mushi always left eventually; he couldn’t stay away from his people or canyon crawlers for too long.

///

Chun was rough. He just had that look about him; that he was used to struggle and hardship. One had to be if they lived in a desert. His house was filled with books due to his desert being where Wan Shi Tong’s library was located. Due to being by himself so often, he wasn’t the best socially.

He liked people-he did!-but Si Wong Desert had a brashness that put others off. However, he didn’t feel like changing. So instead Chun gravitated towards the nation-tans that didn’t mind his attitude. They were his sister Gaoling and his cousin Yun. Chow’s sarcasm and his dry humor made for fun times, and Yun kept them relaxed.

He was fine just being himself.

///

Kyoko-that is, Kyoshi Island-was the youngest of the “adult” children Chen had. Avatar Kyoshi herself had presided over the island during her many years of life before passing on at a venerable 230 years old. Kyoko usually hid among the ever changing Kyoshi Warriors, hiding behind face paint and fans. She had that kind of face anyway; the kind that faded into the background. She wasn’t ugly-no nation was, to be honest-but it seemed that even the ground she walked on wanted to obscure her.

Kyoko didn’t mind though; she never liked being the center of attention anyway. As time went on though, she started learning chi blocking. This rare skill drove people to her land, boosting the island’s economy quite nicely. It grieved her though, after Avatar Aang died, that her beloved art had been used to train revolutionists. She didn’t intend for it to be used for evil. Kyoko couldn’t do anything about it though, and thanked the Spirits when Avatar Korra and her friends ended the revolution. She could breathe easy again.


	3. Fire

Akane-the personification of the Sun Warriors-was the eldest of them all. None of the other nation-tans-not even her son Arata-knew she was still alive though. Who would think she still existed anyway? The ruins of her civilization lay in ruins though a small group remained. She was old enough to remember the first avatar and when lion turtles were as plentiful as humans

But what did knowledge give her? Nothing. She couldn’t just go and reveal herself to the other nation-tans. Akane would’ve stopped desiring to live if it wasn’t for the occasional Avatar stopping by. Well them, and the dragons. Watching the descendants of her old mentors slowly regain their population kept her going through the centuries.

///

Arata had changed since the 100 year war. Due to Fire Lord Zuko and his descendants, he’d stopped being so obsessed with war and conquering. Now he had long since shed his poor reputation-though he’d never let himself forget-and was accepted by the other nations again. It had been an uphill battle though. Relations between him and the others-especially Chen-would never quite be the same, and Arata was grateful that they even accepted him back into the fold at all.

As the centuries passed, Arata slowly let himself become more comfortable around the other Nations. He took the new Western Air Temple under his proverbial wing when the girl was born, seeing her as a daughter. By the time a millennium had passed, Fire Nation had grown stronger from his experiences, but always kept himself in check.

He never wanted to become a monster of a nation again.


	4. Air

Air Temple Island sometimes dreamt of things. He dreamt of people both human and nation that he didn’t know, and things that he didn’t remember happening to him yet the dreams felt so real. He dreamt about siblings, but Yuan didn’t have any siblings; only children. But siblings they were; a man and two women. He didn’t know why his heart would ache when he thought of their faces.

Sometimes he told this to Daiki and Yun; he, Republic City and Foggy Swamp were always together. They were so different from the other nation-tans, and found solidarity with each other. When he’d tell them this, Daiki would roll his eyes and say that Yuan was staying up too late meditating again. Yun, on the other hand, would look at him with a sad look in his blue green eyes and say that it was ok if he didn’t remember completely.

Yuan didn’t know why this bothered him so much.

///

Chyou was still young, as were her brothers Manchu and Shen and her sister Lian. They appeared as teenagers, but were quickly approaching adulthood. Chyou was closest-outside of her siblings-to Fire Nation. She saw him as an older brother figure, and had lots of red among her yellow and orange clothes. She noticed that Arata seemed happier around her than with the other nations, and wished that they would forgive him too. It didn’t matter if she was born after the war ended.

She was the liveliest of her siblings, always having flowers blooming at her home. Animals sought sanctuary there to give birth or recover from their wounds, and it was never quiet. That was alright though.

Silence was boring.

///

Lian was a quieter girl than Chyou, and preferred solitude. However, Eastern Air Temple still got plenty of tourists and pilgrims alike each year. Being where Guru Pathik taught Avatar Aang about chakras, and where Avatar Yi Lin was born, Lian seemed to be the most spiritual of the Air family aside from Air Temple Island. Maybe that was why they got along so well.

It surprised Lian though when Li took an interest in her. Why would Ba Sing Se want to get to know her? She wasn’t called a bookworm for nothing. And Li was so loud and gregarious…

'It doesn't matter though,' Lian had thought one day, 'I'm in love with him.'

///

Manchu was a bit of a dork. Having grown up with machinery, he constantly communicated with Daiki about new ideas to better people’s lives. Out of the Air family, he was probably the least spiritual, though he still meditated everyday. There were more important things to do than meditate five or six times a day. Besides, if it weren’t for Manchu’s machines, nonbenders couldn’t “airbend” at all! And airbending was always good.

He was most famous-aside from his machines-for being where Avatar Ye Shu spent a few years mastering the last few levels of airbending. So obviously, Manchu’s temple was a pilgrimage site for many travelers. He used the money not just for upkeeping the temple, but for providing for the monks that ran it.

Even enlightened people had to eat.

///

Shen was the most serious of his siblings. Being where the Air Nomad genocide was chosen to be memorialized, a section of his temple was left in carefully preserved ruins. He usually hung out with Southern Water Tribe or Kyoshi Island, as they were the closest to his house. Though he was often solemn and a pessimist, those two always brought a smile to Shen’s face.

Even so, remembering his ancestors and namesake being massacred over a millennia ago filled him with fear. Shen never let his guard down, and his trust was hard to gain. He never relaxed around Fire Nation, and usually resented that his siblings-especially Western Air Temple-were so friendly around him.

It just wasn’t right.


	5. Republic

Daiki was different compared to the other nations. His nose was broad like a Water Tribe man, yet his eyes were gold like Fire Nation. He had the stocky build of those in the Earth Kingdom, and the larger ears you’d see on an Air Nomad. He was always the fore front of technology, and more than once he needed one of the nations or an Avatar to reconnect him to his spiritual side. Yuan helped him a lot though.

He was the center of plenty of conflict, seeing as all four cultures resided in his streets. Avatar Korra had to stop an Equalist revolution. All the fighting had made Daiki strong though. He was very good at conflict resolution, and usually helped quell fights between the other nations before they got out of had.

They usually held meetings at his house for this very reason.


End file.
